It has turned hot here in Edmonton and Alberta for that matter. With the heat comes sweating from even the littlest amount of exertion, and with sweating can come dehydration…something we want to avoid.I contemplated writing on the importance of water intake honestly because I thought it was common knowledge, but then I realized that I am constantly talking about it with my patients. It seems to be a daily topic of mine no matter what condition my patients are presenting with, and chances are they start to feel better once they start paying attention to this vital life source.Thus, here I am blogging about the importance of water.

Benefits: Drinking water has many benefits including:

Flushing out waste products

Maintains muscle tone and the ability for muscles to perform contraction

Aids the body in metabolic functions such as respiration, digestion, body temperature and tissue nourishment

Alleviates fluid retention

More youthful skin by filling out the cells

I don’t know about you, but these sound like some pretty important tasks that our bodies are dependent on water for.

Many health concerns that benefit from drinking water include:

Arthritis

Athletic cramps

Colds

Constipation

Diabetes

Digestive concerns

Edema

Fever

Gallstones

So much can be improved just by committing to your daily intake needs of some high quality H2O!

Water makes up the majority of your total body weight and is your body’s main chemical component as all systems depend on water.

Infant: 78% water by weight

Adult: 70% water by weight

Elderly: no less than 50% water by weight

Most cells are 90% water

Daily Requirements: Daily water intake is dependent on the person as well as the circumstances e.g. temperature, activity level, humidity. To determine the water requirement at an average temperature and humidity divide the body weight (lbs) in half, and the number that results is the amount of fluid ounces required per day. Example: an individual weighing 150lbs requires 75 fluid ounces (2.2 L) or approximately 9, 8-ounce glasses of water daily.

Dehydration: Not receiving enough water can lead to dehydration whereby the body does not have enough water to carry out its normal functions…remember that list of Benefits? Symptoms of dehydration can include:

Fatigue or weakness

Headache

Muscle cramps

Nausea

Decreased sweating

Dark coloured urine

Dry mucous membranes

Weak pulse

There are many causes of dehydration, but the most common is the lack of replenishing fluids, therefore, make sure to receive your required daily intake of water.

Exercise: When we exercise water consumptions needs to greatly increase due to the 2 to 3% body water depletion that occurs mainly through sweating. To prevent cramps, dehydration, lack of coordination or headaches when exercising do the following:Amount: When: 2 cups15 min before exercise½-1 cup Every 15 min during exercise

Depending on the length and intensity of your exercise you may need to replenish your electrolytes - basically salts that deplete when you sweat them out. Sports drink contain a lot of sugar so opt to make your own with a base of water and adding things like salt, honey, coconut water and citrus fruits. More on this later.

How to Increase Your H2O: There are many creative ways to make sure you are consuming your required daily intake of water including:

Replacing soda, tea and coffee with a glass of water

Carrying water with you.If you always have water around you will drink it when you are thirsty

Keep a glass next to you when you will be sitting for a long time i.e. at work

Buy a water bottle that is the size of your daily water intake goal this way you can easily see how much water you are consuming throughout the day

Where a watch that beeps at the beginning of each hour, or set a cellphone timer, that way you have a reminder to drink a glass of water. If you want to be more high tech about it, there are a lot of free aps out there that set your daily goal and give you reminders to drink throughout the day.I personally use Aqualert, it’s simple, pretty to look at, and it gets the job done!

If you are going from drinking no water a day (yes, I’ve seen this before!) to 8 glasses a day this can be a little overwhelming and could result in frustration and failure.If this is such a drastic change for you, try to increase your water by one glass a week until your required amount is reached.I hope these tips were helpful in getting you started on your journey to health.If you would like to learn more please ‘Like’ me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.